1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for generating chlorine dioxide from a stable precursor, and more particularly but not by way of limitation, to catalytically enhanced generation of chlorine dioxide from a chlorine dioxide precursor.
2. Brief Statement of the Prior Art
Chlorine dioxide has been found to act as a disinfecting or sterilizing agent for solutions and devices. Further, chlorine dioxide has been employed as a purification agent in the treatment of water, especially drinking water. When employing chlorine dioxide as a purification agent in large scale water treatment the chlorine dioxide is generally produced from sodium chlorite solutions which are subjected to chlorination, acidification, or a combination of chlorination and acidification.
The chlorination of sodium chlorite solutions is well known; and the chlorination of sodium chlorite solutions is represented by the general formula: EQU 2NaClO.sub.2 +Cl.sub.2 .revreaction.2ClO.sub.2 +2NaCl
Acidification of sodium chlorite solutions in order to produce chlorine dioxide is also well known and is represented by the general formula: EQU 5NaClO.sub.2 +4HCl.revreaction.4ClO.sub.2 +5NaCl+2H.sub.2 O
While chlorine dioxide has heretofore been produced on a large scale for treatment of water by chlorination or acidification of sodium chlorite solutions, new and improved methods are constantly being sought which will enhance the generation of chlorine dioxide in order to assure that sufficient chlorine dioxide is present for the purification of the water, as well as to improve the economics of water purification when chlorine dioxide is employed as the purification agent. It is to such a method for enhancing generation of chlorine dioxide from an aqueous medium containing a chlorine dioxide precursor that the present invention is directed.